Electrical devices, such as computers, word processors and telecommunications equipment include components that are periodically removed to service or upgrade the equipment. Thus, the electrical connectors in such equipment are likely to be disconnected and reconnected many times.
Electrically conductive terminals and their nonconductive plastic housings that are likely to be disconnected and reconnected frequently should be designed to facilitate the proper alignment of the contacts during such reconnections by field personnel operating in relatively uncontrolled environments. Additionally, these terminals should be designed to minimize the possibility of damage from any misalignment of contacts that may occur. To this end, many computers and similar equipment include drawer connector housings which are intended to facilitate the alignment of the pairs of terminals mounted in the housings. In particular, the drawer connector housings may include matable pairs of mounting studs and hollow cylinders which engage prior to the initial engagement of the electrically conductive terminals. Thus, the telescoping movement of the mounting studs into the hollow cylinders will position and align the terminals mounted in the drawer connector housing.
Electrically conductive terminals and their housings that are likely to be repeatedly disconnected and reconnected may also be designed to achieve low insertion forces. In particular, these terminals are intended to avoid a high initial contact insertion force that could permanently deform or otherwise damage mating contact portions of the terminals.
It is often desirable to design electrically conductive terminals and their nonconductive housings to be hermaphroditic, such that two identical terminals and/or their housings are matable with one another. Hermaphroditically constructed terminals and housings can substantially reduce tooling costs and facilitate inventory management. Examples of hermaphroditic terminals that are intended to be repeatedly connected and disconnected are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,127 which issued to Adams on Nov. 12, 1968 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,865 which issued to Olsson on Dec. 3, 1968. The terminals in these two references each include a pair of offset contact arms with slightly arcuate or ramped leading ends which are adjacent to elongated generally planar contact surfaces. In the assembled condition of two such terminals, the elongated planar contact surface of one contact arm is disposed in face-to-face electrically contacting relationship with an elongated planar contact surface of the opposed hermaphroditic terminal.
Despite the many carefully engineered connector housings, such as drawer connector housings, slight misalignments of the very small contact members are possible. These misalignments may occur due to the tolerances of the various housing components, assembly errors or slight deformations of parts resulting from frequent disassemblies and reassemblies in the field. In many prior art terminals, these misalignments can damage the terminals and affect the quality of the connection.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide improved hermaphroditic terminals.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide hermaphroditic terminals that achieve both low insertion forces and high electrical contact forces without movable parts in their respective housings.
An additional object of the subject invention is to provide acceptably high electrical contact forces despite misalignments of the hermaphroditic terminals relative to one another.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide hermaphroditic low insertion force terminals with multiple or redundant contact locations.
An additional object of the subject invention is to provide hermaphroditic terminals with plural camming lead-in surfaces to achieve low insertion forces.
Still a further object of the subject invention is to provide hermaphroditic terminals which gradually increase the contact forces as the contacts are urged into their fully mated conditions.